SkyHawks and Snowbirds fly in for Red Deer Regional Air Show

Travelling to various cities and towns across the country, Canada’s only military parachute demonstration team comprises of jumpers from the Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Navy and Air Force, including both Regular Force and Reserve members.

Donning their signature Canadian Flag parachutes, the SkyHawks will challenge gravity with daring manoeuvres, bringing their parachutes in close proximity to each other, known as Canopy Relative Work, requiring the highest levels of skill, teamwork, and physical fitness.

“We really enjoy performing for the people of Canada, coast to coast; it doesn’t matter where we are. It’s really neat and exciting to see the reaction that people have. I really hope that it makes people proud to be Canadian and they can see the men and women of their services in a bit of a different light,” said Master Corporal Trevor Neelin, Team Rigger, Jump Master and Tandem Instructor with the SkyHawks.

He further described that the jumpers will divide into three separate passes, flying into and grabbing each other’s lines and canapes, forming a variety of formations using certain grips and locks to create an aerial acrobatic display, leaving behind a smoke trail to highlight their movements.

(SkyHawks Canada)

“The challenge with crew is being able to match your body type to other people within your formation to be able to pull off a nice formation and so if you don’t have good chemistry, good teamwork, you’re not going to be able to pull off the formation that you want to be able to pull off. There’s a lot of work that goes into it so it’s a challenge which is nice; it’s always nice to have a challenge in your work,” he said.

Stationed in Trenton, Ontario, Neelin began serving 17 years ago and is now a permanent member of the SkyHawks, known as a Cadre, for the past three years. When not training for shows, he fulfills his duties as an Airdrop System Technician, packing and maintaining parachute fleets to ensure they are in serviceable order and in compliance for themselves as well as other departments. He does this by also repairing parachutes that develop rips, tears and need line changes due to their aggressive use during the shows.

“My favourite part of the jump is also usually the scariest for people. The first three seconds you step off the airplane and you get a blast of 130 knots of wind in the face and it just takes you, that’s a pretty unique feeling and when you’re in free-fall, it’s kind of like swimming in a really loud pool. You’re moving so fast, you can push against the air and move yourself in the air. I love the view, the feeling of freedom that you have for that little bit of time in the air,” he said.

Neelin says he never skydived before as a civilian; his experience has been solely with the military as a free-fall jumper. Today, he has 560 jumps under his belt.

“I hope that we get the chance to positively inspire someone to follow that dream: join the military, go for their first jump. I hope we have that effect on people,” he said.

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds also landed at the airport Thursday evening. Teams of seven and nine planes will make over 50 different formations throughout the show.

Snowbird Cpl. Karla Olivares-Meza washes the plane at the Red Deer Regional Airport. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

Richard MacDougall, Advance and Safety Pilot for the Snowbirds, said while they will be doing a show in each province this year, their stop in Red Deer feels particularly special.

“A lot of our friends are here working and are part of the organizing committee so it feels like a bit of a family show for us,” he said.

He added guests can expect to see a full aerobatic show with different bursts and split maneuvers where individual planes will split out from the team’s formation and rejoin while another team will keep the crowd’s attention. He calls it a “dance and timing challenge.”

You can find the SkyHawks on their social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Red Deer Regional Air Show states on their website that all shows are weather dependent.

by Alessia Proietti

SkyHawks and Snowbirds fly in for Red Deer Regional Air Show

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